5 Most Actionable Tips To Keep Your Children Safer Online

1. Have you talked to your children about Internet threats and cyber security? Not yet? Well, you are not alone. And here we are highlighting the 5 most actionable tips parents/guardians can apply to keep their children safe from online scams and cyber bullying. SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH THEM If you want your kids to spend their time on the internet, make sure that they leverage learning opportunities. For that, you can make the Internet something educational, fun and innocent. This will help them to understand that being online is a family thing. You can sit with them and watch a few educational and interactive videos on YouTube, show them how to use the Internet, play games with them. HAVE AN OPEN CONVERSATION Have an open conversation with your children about online predators and how talking with strangers, revealing personal information such as name, contact number and address and school name can put them in danger. As they get older and start getting introduced with the new things on the Internet, let them learn about the potential risks of using it appropriately. You should warn them about the dangerous sites, malware and sex offenders. Explain to them how making unwise decisions and hiding things can hurt their futures- as far as their reputation and financial well-being is concerned. Besides, let your children know you are there to listen and looking out for them, so they can speak honestly with you.

2. SET PARAMETERS The Internet can be a fascinating world for your children, but how much time they spend there becomes a concern. If you notice that your kid is becoming addicted to certain sites or games and staying up all night on the Internet, then this is the time you should for you to set parameters for Internet usage. You can make them clear about the time limits, browsing restrictions, only specific YouTube channels, download and purchasing approvals etc. Also, it is important to adjust the security settings of the social accounts they may have created. USE A MONITORING APP Giving access to multiple devices to connect on the Internet makes it hard for parents to supervise the activities of their children when they are online. this is where using a parental control software or app comes into existence. This is not just useful for setting parameters but to track the online behaviour of your children and control what they are doing and watching on their personal computers, cell phones or other devices. Some security suites help you to block access for specific websites and their functions. You can use apps such as Kids Place and Mobicip that limit kids to open other apps and prevent them from downloading inappropriate ones. Along with this, you can use Sophos Home, which is completely free for personal use, where you can decide what to allow and what to block. GIVE THEM SPACE Monitoring and setting parameters for online child safety doesn't mean keeping an eye on them all the time. You have to give them space and trust them to access the Internet and their connected devices. If you chase them constantly about what they are doing and what they have downloaded, it will be more tempting for them to hide things and do online activities they aren't supposed to do. At a time, they will acknowledge that online actions lead to potential real-life consequences. Concluding this, spying on your children's activities without their knowledge may weaken their trust in you. Thus, you have to be secretive about it while having an open conversation about online safety and cyber thefts. You should also watch any changes in your children's behavior and pay attention to their social interests.